Women hunt, too: The underground sisterhood’

Monday

Sep 29, 2008 at 12:01 AMSep 29, 2008 at 8:15 AM

Men looking for a guy’s-only getaway this fall may need to go somewhere other than the local hunting camp. That’s right — the ladies are donning their camouflage clothing and are hitting the woods in pursuit of whitetails and other game animals.

By Stephanie Mallory and Valerie Virciglio

Men looking for a guy’s-only getaway this fall may need to go somewhere other than the local hunting camp.

That’s right — the ladies are donning their camouflage clothing and are hitting the woods in pursuit of whitetails and other game animals.

In fact, women are the fastest-growing population of hunters, with their participation increasing by more than 75 percent in the past five years.

More than 3 million women now hunt, and more than 5 million women are shooting, according to a study released by the National Sporting Goods Association.

With the overall number of hunters falling, many organizations and states are trying to attract more women to the sport by setting up programs just for women, and those programs seem to be working.

1 Women in the outdoors program

One of the most successful outreach initiatives is the National Wild Turkey Federation’s Women in the Outdoors program, which provides hands-on outdoor education for women. Outdoor learning events, which allow women to try activities ranging from hunting to hiking, are conducted throughout the United States and Canada. The number of these events has increased from 18 in 1998 to almost 400 today. For more info, check out www.nwtf.org.

2 Women’s-only hunting gear

With so many women taking up the sport, the demand for clothing and other gear is on the rise as well.

Kirstie Pike, of Gunnison, Colo., founder of Próis clothing line, said she began creating women’s hunting clothing out of necessity.

“I created Próis out of the inability to find clothing designed for women that fit and could withstand the rigors of the hunt,” Pike said. “What I did not expect, but have been thrilled to find, was this massive network of female hunters out there who are passionate about the sport and find a kinship with other women who share the same outdoor interests. I call it the ‘underground sisterhood’ and have met some of the most remarkable women through (my involvement in the hunting industry).” For more info, check out www.proishunting.com.

3 Becoming an Outdoors Woman

Many states are getting in on the action as well by sponsoring Becoming an Outdoors Woman workshops. More than 20,000 women attend the more than 80 weekend-long workshops held across North America annually. The workshops introduce women to a variety of activities balanced between hunting, shooting, fishing and nonharvest sports like canoeing and camping.
For more info, check out www.uwsp.edu/CNR/bow/.

4 NRA’s Women on Target program

The National Rifle Association has a number of programs that cater to women, including the Women on Target Program, which works to create opportunities, encourage, educate and mentor women's responsible participation in the recreational shooting and hunting sports. In addition to women-only hunts, the program also sponsors a series of instructional shoots.
For more info, check out www.nrahq.org/women/.

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